Living History Lectures ~ Tames Alan
Historical, educational, hysterical. One costumed woman tells it like it WAS.
Historical Facts: Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian women were fortunate, because they were regarded as totally equal to men as far as the law was concerned. They could own property, borrow money, sign contracts, initiate divorce, and appear in court as witnesses. Posted 3/01/2011
The ancient Egyptians used melted beeswax to style their wigs. Posted 4/15/2015
The ancient Egyptians kissed, not by touching lips, but by touching noses. Posted 2/01/2017
In ancient Egypt the year began at summer solstice, which celebrated the rising of Sothis/Isis/Sirius from 70 days’ absence in the underworld and was the occasion of the New Year feast. The year was made of 360 days, with five extra days for the large festivals celebrating the birth of Osiris, Isis, Set, Nepthys, and Neith. Posted 6/15/2019
The earliest record of juggling is a painting on the wall of Tomb 15 in Egypt's Ben Hasan cemetery complex that dates from 1994-1781 BCE. This tomb belonged to Baqet III, a provincial governor of Menat-Khufu. It depicts female dancers and acrobats juggling up to three balls, and one of the girls is juggling with her arms crossed. Posted 5/01/2021
In ancient Egypt if divorce occurred, the husband was obligated to continue some support to his ex-wife, usually amounting to about one-third of his earnings. Posted 6/01/2023
Only the ancient Egyptians had a male earth god, who was named Geb. According to mythology, Nut, the goddess of the sky, mates with Geb, the god of the earth, every night and gives birth to the sun. Shu, the god of air, pries Geb and Nut apart and allows for day. Posted 4/15/2024
In ancient Egypt, religion played no part in marriage. Marriage was a purely civil affair. Posted 6/01/2013
Ancient Egyptian female brewers of beer were held in high esteem. Posted 3/01/2014
In ancient Egypt, many taverns, called houses of beer, were run by women. Posted 3/15/2016
In ancient Egypt, marriage settlements, very similar to today’s prenuptial agreements, were drawn up between a woman’s father and her prospective husband, although many times the woman herself took part in the contract negotiations. Posted 6/15/2018
The first record of coriander is on an Egyptian medical papyrus from 1552 B.C.E. Posted 8/15/2019
Killing a cat in Ancient Egypt carried the death penalty. Posted 7/15/2020
Ancient Egyptian women had rights to 2/3s of their property, a right to divorce, a right to own and run their own business, and to will their property to whomever they pleased. Posted 2/15/2022
When you see cats depicted in ancient Egyptian art, you're looking at the more-or-less direct-line ancestor of the Egyptian Mau. The elegantly spotted Egyptian Mau is a lean, athletic cat with a history dating back at least 3,000 years. Because of their friendly disposition, these ancient Egyptian cats were so popular in the ancient world that a "local ban on cat trading was imposed in Egypt as early as 1700 BCE." Still, Egyptian cats continued to "spread to most of the Old World." Over time, Mediterranean house cats were all descended from the Egyptian clade. Posted 9/29/2023